FUTURESCAPE 2023 | Our Highlights

FutureScape 2023 will certainly be a show to remember for Landscapeplus.

Firstly, it was the perfect opportunity to reveal our new look which includes: a fresh logo, new tagline, the Knowledge Centre within our website and a clear perspective of who we are as a business and what the future holds for us and our customers. 

Our new tagline: "So much more than a supplier..." gave us the inspiration for our stand which was different from previous years in many ways. Possibly the most noticeable difference was the lack of systems and products. This was a conscious decision and not one we took lightly, but we wanted to show our customers how we are 'So much more than a supplier...' and how better than using our stand to promote those aspects of the business. The stand was designed, built and finished in-house, and the graphics were carefully thought out to explain the areas of the business we think are beneficial to our customers and make us unique. These include: our free design support, training days and events, being trade-only, our new Knowledge Centre and that we are a true 'one-stop-shop' for lighting, irrigation and water feature systems. 

A focal point of the business moving forward is how we can help professionals develop their confidence and skills when specifying or installing lighting, irrigation and water features. This was the driving force behind getting stuck in with presentations and demonstrations. First up was the irrigation demonstration where Sam and Paul spoke about the importantance of using water efficiently and how irrigation can save water. They ran through and connected an array of irrigation products covering parts from a small tap-based system all the way up to a comprehensive rainwater harvesting system, allowing customers to ask questions and see the products throughout. 

On Tuesday afternoon, a crowd gathered at the Lighting Theatre in preparation for Sam and Paul's presentation: 'Illuminating gardens: A practical introduction'. With a focus on the fundamentals of garden lighting, Sam and Paul discussed terminology, basic techniques, key technologies and demonstrated how the right choice of fitting and location can be successful using images of real life residential projects created by our customers with our help. At the end of the presentation, the microphone was handed round for an open Q&A and discussion session where Sam and Paul answered tricky questions like: "why don't electricians like low voltage?" Fortunately, one of our longstanding customers, KG Electrical was in the audience so he was able to swoop in and take the mic. 

Not only was FutureScape the ideal place to launch our new look, it was also the perfect opportunity for us to introduce our two latest brands: Aquascape and in-lite®, both of which are like-minded companies and aligned with Landscapeplus. Some of the in-lite® and in-lite® LAB team flew over from The Netherlands to join us on the stand for a few hours and see what FutureScape was all about. It was fantastic to have them there and they said they had a great time speaking to our customers and learning more about the UK market. It's safe to say that we're all looking forward to the future.

After a busy day of meeting new people and catching up with existing customers, the team attended the Pro Landscaper Project Awards which focused on Big Impact Projects under £50,000. It was a fantastic evening, hosted by Mark Gregory, and great to celebrate with the extremely worthy finalists and winners!

In addition to being event partners, we proudly sponsored the inaugural Unsung Heroes Awards which was launched by Pro Landscaper earlier this year to help shine a light on individuals who work tirelessly to make our industry a pleasure to be a part of. As a company who is passionate about developing the industry and sharing knowledge, the Unsung Heores Award seemed the perfect match for us. Readers were invited to nominate who they believe deserved to be recognised and unsurprisingly Pro Landscaper received hundreds of nominations which they managed to whittle down to 15. These shortlisted nominees were invited to attend an awards ceremony at FutureScape where they were individually invited on stage to receive a certificate and take a well-deserved moment in the spotlight. The finalists included a range of individuals from office administrators to marketing and operatives on the ground to small business owners. You can read their inspiring stories and why they were nominated in the Pro Landscaper supplement. With over 1000 votes cast, Frankie Patman, marketing manager from Maylim, was crowned the Unsung Hero of Year! A huge congratulations to everyone who entered, the finalists and to Frankie Patman; you are all truly inspiring!

From start to finish, FutureScape 2023 was incredible. We'd like to thank everyone who visited the stand, it was great to meet and see you all. It's fair to say, the team will be buzzing for a while! Check out our highlights below.